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Acute viral hepatitis: Hepatitis that lasts for a few weeks or months.

Hepsera (adefovir dipivoxil): A medication used to treat hepatitis B in adults.

Albumin: One of the proteins made by the liver. A low albumin level may be a sign of a liver disease like hepatitis.

Antibody: A protein made by the immune system in response to the presence of antigens. Antibodies can either destroy the antigens directly or weaken them so that the rest of the immune system can destroy them.

Antigen: A foreign substance that produces a specific response in the immune system. Antigens can be made from protein, carbohydrates, fats, or acids, or any combination.

Bilirubin: A pigment that is a component of bile that forms as a byproduct of the breakdown of old red blood cells. The liver processes and removes bilirubin from the body through bowel movements. When the liver cannot remove the bile (and with it the bilirubin), jaundice and other symptoms appear.

Cholestasis: A condition caused by blockages in the liver or surrounding areas that results in difficulty removing bile from the body. When too much bile accumulates in the bloodstream, jaundice can result.

Chronic hepatitis: Hepatitis that does not go away and can lead to other serious illnesses, such as liver cancer.

Cirrhosis: A chronic liver disease resulting from destruction of normal liver cells by inflammation and replacement with scar tissue.

Complete blood count: This test measures the components that make up the blood and may be used to determine which type of hepatitis you have.

Condom: A sheath put over the penis to prevent ejaculated semen from entering one’s sexual partner. Because some types of hepatitis are transmitted sexually, condoms are highly recommended for use during sex.

Dark urine: A possible sign that the body is clearing bilirubin through the urine instead of the stool, which can be a symptom of hepatitis.

Endemic: How health care professionals describe the extensive presence of a disease in a particular geographical area for an extended period of time. For example, hepatitis E is endemic to Egypt, but not to the United States.

Baraclude (entecavir): A medication used to treat hepatitis B in adults.

Epidemic: A situation in which many more cases of a disease are diagnosed than usual in a particular geographic area. A thousand cases of hepatitis A spread across the United States may not be an epidemic, but the same number of cases in a small town where hepatitis A is not endemic might be.

Fatigue: Excessive exhaustion reported by almost 50 percent of people with hepatitis C.

Fever: Raised body temperature that could be a sign of hepatitis.

Fulminant: A term referring to a severe condition that develops almost without warning. Fulminant liver disease, or acute liver failure, can put patients at risk of death within a few days of onset.

Hepatitis: Liver inflammation caused by a toxin or a virus.

Hepatitis A: A type of acute hepatitis caused by exposure to the hepatitis A virus, usually from contact with infected feces or food or water contaminated with infected feces; hepatitis A is not as dangerous as types B and C.

Hepatitis B: A common type of hepatitis worldwide that is contracted by exposure to bodily fluids of an infected person, through sexual activity, blood transfusions, and other means. Hepatitis B is an acute form of hepatitis that may, in some people, become chronic and can severely damage the liver if not successfully treated.

Hepatitis C: A type of hepatitis contracted through exposure to an infected person’s bodily fluids, especially blood. It is typically a chronic infection and can lead to cirrhosis and liver failure.

Hepatitis D: A type of hepatitis that doesn’t replicate unless the person also has hepatitis B. It is contracted through contact with infected blood.

Hepatitis E: A type of hepatitis that is similar to hepatitis A. People infected with hepatitis E have somehow ingested fecal matter infected with this virus.

Hepatocytes: Cells that make up the liver.

Interferon: A drug used to treat hepatitis C. Interferon is a type of protein that has antiviral properties.

Interferon alpha: A type of interferon injection given to children and adults with hepatitis B.

Jaundice: Yellowed skin and eyes that are a common symptom of hepatitis; jaundice is caused by the build-up of bilirubin in the blood.

Epivir-HBV (lamivudine): A medication used to treat hepatitis B in adults.

Liver: The organ that essentially cleans the blood of toxins and also breaks down fats, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Needle-exchange program: A program in which people who inject themselves with drugs can acquire clean, uncontaminated needles. These programs are effective ways of thwarting the spread of blood-borne diseases.

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